A stained cluster of cancer cells passes through a 7-μm channel in vitro.PNAS, S.H. AU ET AL.Clusters of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) may play a larger role in cancer metastasis than previously thought. Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital have now shown that these clusters can squeeze through square microfluidic channels just 7 microns (μm) across. The team’s findings were published today (April 18) in PNAS.
“There’s a common belief in the field that even single CTCs traversing through capillary beds would destroy the majority of them through physical shearing,” Edward Cho of Spectrum Genomics wrote in an email to The Scientist. This study “demonstrates new evidence that clusters of CTCs may have a mechanism to prevent shearing as they traverse through small capillaries, and thus may have greater metastatic potential than previously thought,” added Cho, who was not involved in the work.
Most cancer deaths are caused by tumors metastasizing to different organs. Traditionally, clusters of these cells were thought to be too large to pass through capillaries, instead getting stuck and forming blood clots. Yet, more recently, these clusters have been detected in blood drawn from cancer patients. “If ...
